Two months ago I was on yet another cooking odyssey though this one was very easy. Pasta, sautéed onions, tomato puree, heavy cream and vodka. A Caesar salad on the side, some Merlot and wha-laa! Oh, did I mention there is Vodka?

Ironically, I’ve been very under the weather but I wanted to post up another angle to my writing for my new Bloppy Blogger friends. Food has not been on my itinerary the past 48 hours.

In my continuing quest to replicate Ree Drummond’s recipes from her blog at The Pioneer Woman I found yet another that I said, “Yes, please. I must make that.” Though not an ingredient on the list the first order of business was to pour a glass of Merlot. It was a vintage…ah heck, I don’t know what it was. As a girlfriend of mine said recently when we were comparing alcohol consumption she said, “Does it give you a buzz? Then that works for me.” My kind of girl.

I only had one glass.
Phoenix, “He had three.”
Me, “Knock it off. Go lay down.”

The recipe calls for one medium onion. I got two because by the time I’m done completing my Edwards Scissorhands impression it ends up being one.

Ok, I got a little too much and didn’t use all of this.

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet and chop up 2-3 cloves of garlic. Since we’re drinking, more is always better right? And I wouldn’t be kissing anyone this night so 3 it was. Toss it all in and get everything all sautéed up. Salt and pepper. Taste it after a bit for the the proper seasoning to your liking.

Next comes the part where your eyes light up. I hadn’t been around Vodka in 10 years. It’s an old demon friend from my very first drunk in high school. I added one cup in.
Phoenix, “You poured two!”
Me, “Thank you, Measuring Police…”
Where Phoenix always chimes in, “Daddy is getting tipsy…can’t wait for later if he starts texting…and he didn’t have a date… so why the title?”*glare at Golden Retriever if you have one*

I usually steer away from all tomato sauce based recipes (we are not fond of each other) but the acid would be cut out with the heavy cream so I went for it.

Getting all of that stirred around. Oh lordy, bring on the Aroma Post feature!

Now add in 1 cup of heavy cream.

Getting it all stirred together into a saucy goodness. Some more salt and fresh ground pepper. Always taste as you go along!

You can choose any pasta you like. I always have pasta of all types in the cupboard and chose Farfelle. I thought it should really grab and soak up the sauce well.

Toss it into the skillet with the sauce and grate some fresh Parmesan Cheese on top. Please get fresh folks it only takes a minute to grate it!

Then I whipped up a nice Caesar Salad from scratch on the side. It takes a bit of time to…
Phoenix, “Liar! You got it out of one those pre-mix containers.”
Me, “And Mr Throw Me Under The Bus being his ever so helpful self again. Nice.”
Phoenix, “Just sayin’…”

Here. Happy?

Tasted just as good and looked the same.

Plate ‘er up with some basil on top and let the food orgasm begin.

The pasta was so soft and tender and all of the ingredients married together deliciously. Most of the vodka had cooked out but it definitely hinted its presence in the background with the melted Parmesan cheese. I love basil so I chopped some up, very undiligently and too hurriedly, and tossed it in there as well. Don’t forget to season as you go along! Taste, taste, taste. Remember you can always add but can’t take out.

I’m telling you folks if you want a really easy dish to put together that will make your honey feel like they are having a 5 star Italian dinner. This will sweep them off of their feet. The wine doesn’t hurt either.

Mike Vogler

I have been told (many times) that I really need to write a book about my life. The past 50+ years have been an exciting ride, and these days I find myself with a great many passions. However, I feel that this website is a much more personal way with which to share my musings, stories and commentary.

Is that your glass, with the wine? It’s beautiful and really caught my eye.

I love the sound of this recipe, though the thing which puts me off is the cream. The rest sounds almost like the base of most of my dishes, though I tend to add loads of chopped vegetables and use fusilli (though farfalle is prettier, and has a much fancier name, so perhaps it’s worth the extra effort).

Yes, that’s my glass. Some super expensive crystal ware my aunt gave me. She gave me a bunch of other stuff (china and gold ware) that I refuse to use. Drives her crazy because she says, “Use it, silly boy!” And yes, Phoenix always has something to say. I’m not sure who channels who between the two of us, Lizzi 🙂

OMG that looks amazing. It’s really bad that we had sandwiches for dinner tonight right? I mean. We DID spend five hours at a car dealership today but even if we hadn’t…we may have had sandwiches. Or eaten out.
It really does look delicious. I’m going to copy this and try it. And yeah, everything is better with a little (HAHA to Phoenix calling you out on your consumptions) vino.

Oh my! This looks easy enough and looks delicious. We’re pasta lovers so I’m going to try this soon. It’s the only time my kids and I can have a bit of vodka. Thanks for this! BTW, I love those Ready Pacs. Sometimes, they’re my lunches. I can’t see the first photo too, Mike.

Thank you Mary (and Kristi), I have NO clue what I did. Thank gawd for a cell phone to be able see when I fixed it. That always racks my nerves when I make a mistake and I can’t see it on the computer. Still don’t know what was wrong but I think it’s fixed now.

Phoenix, “Breathe Dad…it’s just a picture…”

I agree with you on the Ready Pacs. They are so easy and usually quite delicious too! I hope you like the recipe if the four of you give it try 🙂

I’ve never tried vodka in pasta sauces before. But I do always put tequila in my chili! The alcohol really brings out the flavor of the tomatoes. You might need to tell Phoenix to slow down with the wine, I hear it stains the teeth…

I love this post, especially Phoenix’s feedback! And like Lizzi I love the wine glasses, my mother had a set just like that. Heavy as hell, but really pretty.
This dish looks DELICIOUS! I am pinning this to my Pinterest recipes, which usually have about a 60% of me ACTUALLY making them, but something about the pictures REALLY makes me want to make it, or mayhaps it’s the wine and vodka?? Either way.
p.s. I have that SAME recipe for salad!!!! I recently tried making my own garlic dressing, it’s posted to my “Favorite Recipes” board on Pinterest if you’re interested. It’s basically sour cream, mayo, miniced garlic, onion and a little vinegar to break down the onions and garlic. It literally gets better every day. It will go nicely with this pasta!

I love the Phoenix commentary! I don’t have a dog, but from this post, I’m guessing they’re a lot like kids–they tell on us all the time!! Little stinkers. 🙂 I subscrbed–and thank you for visiting my blog. It’s always so fun to “meet” new readers.

Right back at you on meeting new readers, Shay! Thank you so much for Subscribing! Your post is so funny and I know you will get some click backs over there so I hope they enjoy it as much as I did! Phoenix is a total kid and dimes me off daily. Believe me lol! 🙂

OMG you have got me with my mouth watering and stomach growling (not a pretty picture, right?) Fantastic photos and this sounds sooooo good. Hope you are feeling better. . .another glass or two of wine and you won’t feel anything 😉

Your “pretty picture” is a wonderful compliment, Jackie! Thank you so much for the compliment on the pictures. That’s one of my biggest interests right now with the food posts. Is not only the recipe and final dish but the photos. Ha, ha…no kidding on the wine! Great to hear from you 🙂

Ha! Ha! I love Phoenix, the honesty police!! Nice to have someone around to keep you in check:) I love pasta alla vodka but have not made it. Thanks for the recipe and the inspiration. I should try it soon. Your finished product made me salivate. Not a good post to read on an empty stomach.

The pasta and salad look absolutely delicious, it’s lunch time right now here and I just need to have a pasta right now although I think I would go for a glass of wine iso the vodka 🙂 Beautiful post and love Phoenix comments throughout the post

Wine at lunch would work for me too, Freya! It’s a super flexible recipe and you can add/take out anything you like from it. Though the vodka in the sauce (albeit cooked off for the most part) definitely was an awesome addition 🙂

Ooooh, that looks wonderful, Mike. Maybe I’ll make that for my beau on Valentine’s Day. I won’t have Phoenix there telling on me (how many drinks and whether the dressing was from a box LOL). I’m sorry I’m late to this party!

I like to make a seafood pasta for a Saturday night. It always impresses yet it’s easy to make. 🙂

It will definitely be easier for you w/o a backseat driving Golden Retriever! Your honey and you would love it I hope. Seafood pasta sounds absolutely delicious and I would sure like your recipe, Lisa! 🙂

Oooh…the basil on top is the icing on the cake for me. I’m not too fond of vodka-infused tomato sauces although I like each separately ;-). But I can imagine that the basil adds an extra flare to the dish. And I’m all for shortcuts when it comes to salads and whatnot. They already come mixed and portioned out for you, so why not?! Sorry, Phoenix – but your dad was right to take this shortcut, buddy! 🙂

I absolutely love, love basil! I will use it before parsley, cilantro (can’t stand) or anything else. I couldn’t agree with you more on salad shortcuts unless it is something super unique, etc. LOL to Phoenix! Great to hear from you, Dana! 🙂

OMG, this looks and sounds amazing! And I love that Phoenix was, of course, monitoring you in the kitchen!;-) Gotta love these guys! Just tonight I was trying to whip together a soup and Gills stood at my feet yelping until I picked him up so he could see eye level what was going on!

I’m definitely going to give this dish a try one of these cold nights…extra garlic and all!:-)

OH MAN! I wasn’t hungry five minutes ago…now I am mouth drooling drop down want to cook pasta like now!
Hey can we do a swap, David will do some renovations, my kids will love to walk your dog/play ball/pet and wash….you can cook us a meal!
Would you like us to come there or do you need our address in Australia?
And to combat the acid in Tomato Sauce…Brown Sugar! Yep I add a heaped tablespoon to our pasta dish every time and it taste so yummy with out any yucky heart burn flavour after wards.
By the way I like how Phoenix is the responsible adult in the drinking department, you deserve a doggie treat xxx

LOL to Phoenix being the responsible adult! Oh hit that spot on, Lisa! I love the barter idea. But, the only way I can get Phoenix to Australia is for the two of us to swim there. I’m thinking we can make it by the year 2030 or so if the ocean current is working with us. Love the brown sugar suggestion and just made a note of that thank you! If it works then I’ve been missing out for 20 years 🙂

Dang, I’m going to use those glasses in the pictures more often! That’s several compliments on them and thank you! Just fyi Beth I totally thought of you on the other vegans who have read my blog and I knew it had to be darn close to doable for you. I’m assuming the heavy cream and salad dressing were the no-no’s for you? Glad you liked it overall 🙂

I just pinned this, it looks so good. I have never made vodka sauce…I don’t know why. I like vodka and I like tomatoes. And I love garlic! There is a fresh pasta shop near my house that has amazing vodka sauce so I buy it there. I tend to make the same things over and over again. Tonight I made the best quesadillas. Ok maybe they weren’t the best, but they were pretty darn good!
PS. Your Golden is adorable!

I’m glad you liked the recipe and WOW thank you for Pinning it. I just have not been able to spend time on Pinterest. How ironic on the quesadillas as I made those last week! My first ever. Good stuff. I’m sure the vodka sauce is good that you buy but there is no substitue for homeade anything if you are willing to put the time in. Time being the key word, huh? So jazzed you stopped by Michelle 🙂